Pardon us if we sound today like a broken record. But when a wheel is off-kilter, usually no one notices until it squeaks and grinds, squeaks and grinds, squeaks and grinds. Thus it is that every few weeks we squeak and grind about Hamilton County’s public schools and county’s dismal future because of those school failures.
Our squeak and grind is often not popular. Especially with community leaders.
Usually we talk only about 3rd-grade reading scores, but that doesn’t seem to move people.
But two weeks ago we asked if, in school performance, the glass was half empty or half full because in July we saw that struggling youngsters haven’t caught up — or at least they didn’t in two important subjects in 2022: Not quite 36% of Hamilton County students in grades three to 12 performed at or above grade-level expectations in English language arts and 44% were on grade level in social studies. What’s more, we learned we are on par with the state’s average — even outperforming the state in some areas.
Then last week we challenged every elected city, county and state official in our county to expend as much energy fighting to find public money — do whatever it takes — for Hamilton County schools and students as we’re set to do for our community’s shiny new object, a $79.5 million stadium for the Chattanooga Lookouts.